Which USA Players Should Feature In World Cup Group Stage Finale?

The United States national team will have the rare opportunity to play a World Cup game with nothing on the line for either team. Mauricio Pochettino’s team has already secured winning Group D while its opponents, Türkiye, have already been eliminated and will leave the tournament following the game.

There are a lot of factors Pochettino will want to consider when putting together his lineup for this game. Which players need rest? Which players need to play? 

To state the obvious, there are four players who started the first two games and are on yellow cards: Tyler Adams, Chris Richards, Antonee "Jedi" Robinson, and Folarin Balogun. These players shouldn't play against Türkiye and risk being ineligible for the critical knockout game in the round of 32. 

Here is a look at who should enter the starting lineup, who should remain in the starting lineup, who should sub into the game, and the tactics that should be used:

The tactics Pochettino has been using have evolved over the past year and much of it has centered on a mostly consistent lineup in the backline with Tim Ream, Alex Freeman, and Richards playing most games. 

With a heavily rotated squad, Pochettino might opt to keep things simpler. On top of that, the U.S. team is limited in central midfield with Adams needing to sit and Roldan’s health questionable. 

Pochettino can be difficult to predict in situations such as this (as few saw Ricardo Pepi and Balogun starting together against Australia), but a 3-4-3 formation makes the most sense given the players he has at his disposal. 

It is unknown how Türkiye will play in this game. When a team that is predicted to go far suffers an early elimination before its final game, it can go a number of different ways. Some teams unravel and simply just want to go home. Other teams are determined to leave the tournament with a bit of pride and play well. The U.S. team should expect the best from Türkiye, which will make for a very difficult test. 

The Marseille right winger/right back needs to start this game to see how he responds to his current adversity. The long-time veteran was a starter in 2022 and scored a goal in the opening game of that tournament. Right now, he is further down the pecking order on Pochettino’s team. He should be hungry and looking to make a statement with any minutes he is given. 

The versatile Leeds United attacker always brings intensity and effort whenever he plays. With Premier League, World Cup, and Champions League experience in his career, he could bring leadership to a makeshift lineup. 

Pochettino has hailed Berhalter’s professionalism and Berhalter does well to stick within the tactical structures. He has played enough minutes with this team over the past year to have an understanding of what Pochettino wants.  Without many central midfield options, Berhalter is certainly needed in the starting lineup. 

 The Columbus Crew veteran has been a regular for Pochettino at left back whenever Antonee Robinson could not play, which was all of 2025. With Robinson out, Arfsten is logical. 

 If Pochettino wants to rest or use Alex Freeman and Sergino Dest as substitutes, Scally is the logical choice at right wingback. 

The Philadelphia Union product and current Toulouse central defender is the most logical player to enter the lineup in the middle in place of Richards. 

Trusty has seen an increasing role within the team since the fall, and he gives a three-man backline a left-footed option in place. 

Robinson has not had a great year in 2026 for club or country, but if there are going to be mass changes, Robinson will likely come back into the backline on the right side. 

Freese does not have to start in this game, but he has not faced many shots through the first two games. This game might help keep him in a rhythm with more important games on the horizon. 

It was always a concern who would start in the defensive midfield role if Tyler Adams could not play. With Roldan also battling an injury, McKennie might get the nod after playing in an attacking position in the first two games. Pochettino has frequently praised McKennie’s versatility and might make sense for him to utilize that. 

The PSV Eindhoven forward came off the bench in the first game but started the second game alongside Balogun in a two-forward setup. But Pepi is more than capable of being effective as a single striker with this team. He often thrived in a role with PSV Eindhoven, where he scored 19 goals this season as the club won the Eredivisie and advanced to the knockouts of the Champions League. 

The AC Milan star's health is the most talked about story surrounding this team. All signs point to him being close to a full return, but having him come off the bench seems to make sense as Pochettino can evaluate the game and see if it is appropriate to give Pulisic minutes. 

While Renya made his first start of 2026 against Senegal in a pre-World Cup friendly, his role at this World Cup is as an offensive substitute and with a makeshift lineup, everyone is going to be asked to contribute more defensively. But this is still a good game to continue to keep Reyna in a rhythm to help offensively. 

The Coventry forward could be a top attacking option off the bench without Balogun in the lineup. 

He is a very different attacking player than Aaronson, but he gives the team a left-footed option who can feature in the midfield or out wide. He has not played much under Pochettino, but they might find a use for him here. 

Roldan has been popular within the team for years and this is his second World Cup team. The Seattle midfielder has been dealing with an injury this week, but if he can get on the field at the end of this game, the team would love it as he did not get off the bench in Qatar.